In the field of composite manufacturing, specifically composite manufacturing using a caul tool, conventional methods for producing articles are unable to reliably produce complex objects with sharp corners, as rigid caul tools cannot apply uniform pressure and do not sufficiently press into the small, intricate areas of an article. This can result in resin-heavy corners and/or insufficient consolidation of the material around the edges of the resulting composite article.
Conventionally, to overcome these difficulties, caul tools are made of items such as rubber and/or silicone to allow even pressure to be applied onto the curing composite article. However, these purely elastomeric caul tools progressively shrink with each repeated use, resulting in an imperfect fit with the composite part. Furthermore, purely elastomeric caul tools are not sufficiently rigid to allow for composite layup to be performed onto the caul tool. This requires composite lay-ups to be placed into rigid female mold cavities. In composite articles with complex geometries containing sharp radii and/or corners, this frequently results in bridging gaps and corner defects in the produced composite article.